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Three Healthy Christian Habits

The hardest part of developing good habits is breaking bad ones. Bad habits are like styrofoam pellets, they attach themselves easily, but are hard to shake loose. However, in the spiritual realm, the Christian develops godly habits not merely under his own willpower, but foundationally by the willpower of God. Keenly aware of this, Paul urges these three healthy Christian habits: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ… Read More »Three Healthy Christian Habits

Beatitudes

Spiritual Exercise through Scripture Memorization

What do you think of when you see a treadmill? Physical fitness? A heathy lifestyle? Sweat? I think, Oh, look! There’s a garage sale. You may detect a bit of cynicism. Blame it on deceptive advertising. The attractive and impressive models that grace the box on exercise equipment with their finely sculpted bodies have never come within 100 feet of a potato chip. They torture themselves for a living. They promise us non-olympians the “thrill of victory.” Nope! It’s “the… Read More »Spiritual Exercise through Scripture Memorization

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Praying Like the Apple of God’s Eye

Do you like a good mystery? Often mysteries involve a crime scene, a victim, maybe even a dead body. However, others are less messy. We encounter phrases sometimes that leave us scratching our head and wondering, Where did that come from? When we want to describe someone as most dear to us, we say, “They are the apple of my eye.” What a mysterious expression! In solving that mystery we may learn something about God, the Christian, and prayer.  Apple of my… Read More »Praying Like the Apple of God’s Eye

A child's responsive prayer

If I Should Die Before I Wake

Next to a chainsaw, the most dangerous tool you could find in my hand is a rhyming dictionary. The good news is I have not touched a chainsaw for months. The bad news is I recently dusted off New Rhyming Dictionary and Poetry Handbook. My subject is prayer so maybe, with much prayer, I can do more good than harm. A Child’s Prayer Writing Back To God made me reflect on the people and events God used in preserving my… Read More »If I Should Die Before I Wake

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Night Vision: Hope in Dark Times

Raccoons! They are the scourge of campgrounds. They even look like bandits. Vicious and destructive, they prowl at night, rummaging in any container they can get their hands into. Psalm 10 is a cry of distress over the vicious destructiveness of a godless society. Yet, it has a message of hope in the midst of dark times and is a fitting prayer for our day. A Dark Providence When evil abounds, knowledge of God’s holiness and justice prompts the believer to… Read More »Night Vision: Hope in Dark Times

big picture prayers

Big Picture Prayers

My wife is not a squeaky wheel. She is not constantly complaining or demanding my attention. The saying goes, “the squeaky wheel get the grease.” We tend to spend our time and energy on what causes us the most annoyance. Though a natural tendency, it is unwise and shortsighted — not to mention bad husbanding. My wife still has needs that God wants me to provide. Similarly, our prayers can reflect the squeaky wheel pattern when we lose sight of the big… Read More »Big Picture Prayers